Ulysses S. Grant's Council of War | Civil War Then & Now

On May 21, 1864 war photographer Timothy O'Sullivan took a series of photos of Ulysses S. Grant's Council of War during the Overland Campaign. The photos were taken on the upper level of the Massaponax Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Va.

Garry Adelman and Kris White of the American Battlefield Trust break down these historic shots.

The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters. We permanently protect these battlefields for future generations as a lasting and tangible memorial to the brave soldiers who fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.

[justgoofingoff]

Drive by the church almost every day heading home, I see those pictures in my head every time i look at it.

[ryanenlow]

The close up analysis of those famous photos was exquisite.... Thank you Adelson and company... freaking fantastic!!!

[annmcgehee]

Great job to get in close to identify even better details we might otherwise miss, like the cross on the wagon, the fez and sash! Excellent, please make more of these videos!!

[NJcruiser]

Have stood right there several times and once was invited into the church along with the other members of our small tour group to check out the soldier graffiti. Truly an amazing place.

[MrElliotc]

Absolutely stunning! I've seen this photos dozens of times but you made it speak. Really outstanding job.

[ChrisWeil]

visited over the Summer as this is one of my favorite photo series. Love how Rawlins has his leg up on the bench while reading the paper and Dana is leaning on him.

[dkstryker]

You don't know how grateful I am you guys made this video.. I love these photos honestly they are my favorite from. The entire war. These photos show exactly how life was for the commanders for the Civil War and the entire country. It depicts traffic, topography, rustic living, and how military commanders communicated.. its surreal to think 30 years later there would be electricity, gas powered vehicles, telephones, cigarettes, and then a few years down the road from 1900, there would be airplanes... how fast things changed in the world shortly after this photo was taken.. the thing that astounds me with this photo is its one of the last along with the photos of the West that depict a fading way of life for the birth of a new form of life.

[ronharrell]

Garry - what a great video. I love how you overlay the old and the current view. This is on my bucket list of placed to see. Now I will know how to orient the photo to the current site of the church.

[vickistevens]

Incredible close-ups of the photographs and the detailed information. Outstanding job, Garry and Kris.

[scottkelly]

I've long thought these photos are the closest we ever got to a motion picture from the war. Thanks for the vid!

[christophermarks]

I'd love to see a bronze statue showing Grant looking over Meade's shoulder- that bench alone and the men on it. It would look fantastic at the church.

[sharkusvelarde]

I love it, a nod to Frassanito's work. Thanks Gary!

[felixfonseca]

The 3D job with the 100 years old photo is incredible.

[danielvanmol]

Gary and Christopher are just the max. I had the honour to see them last year at gettysburg 160.

[Power_Prawnstar]

How have I only just found this channel? Man these videos are great, thank you.

[stewartj]

If only someone would’ve shown this picture to Grant in his later years, and record his thoughts on it, and identify for us all the main players. I bet he would’ve been delighted to see an image like that so many years later. I wonder if he ever saw it?

[yankeebarber]

Fantastic! Great job, guys!!!
I love the graphics and how the 3D effects made us feel like we were standing amidst those men at that time. Very cool. I wonder if we could get that church to replant those trees right where they were?

[karen-leelamb]

This is incredible! Please do more of these.

[dkstryker]

And out of all of the photos here the one of Grant smoking his cogar is my favorite. I've only seen 3 photos of him smoking his ever so present cigars! Here you see the exact man described in all the Civil War books, brimmed hat, cigar sticking out of his mouth, commanding each General what to do next!!

[oldmanhunter]

I am australian and have had a great interest in the civil war for many years, these short videos on these photos which i have seen many times bring a real personal touch to them.